by Two Sisters Collective 
By Jacob Hess
Jacob Hess is a staff writer and Latter-day Saint Voices editor for the Deseret News.
For the third year in a row, Utah was named the “No. 1 state in America” by U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings for 2024. That ranking is based on 70 metrics across eight categories — with Utah leading in so many indicators that it rose to the top once more, summarized in their report, “Why Utah Is the Best State in America – Again.”
That comprehensive review, however, only looked at a subset of data points available, with other meaningful variables examined elsewhere. On top of factors identified in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Deseret News scoured other research to gather the best evidence below, demonstrating other ways the Beehive State is uniquely excelling across the nation.
The amount of heartening data was surprising even to us — begging the question of why so many things are going well in this particular state. Having a state economy and fiscal stability that leads the nation would be enough to elicit curiosity, along with stand-out upward mobility and economic equality. But add to that repeated evidence of unusual physical health and emotional well-being among residents, as well as the nation’s lowest drug and alcohol abuse — to say nothing of its unusual charitable giving and volunteerism, noticeable educational excellence, and social cohesion highly regarded across the country … and one is forced to begin asking deeper questions.
Common underlying elements
Clearly, none of these variables operate independently in a vacuum — representing different elements of a synergistic social ecosystem built on certain fundamentals. From our analysis of the state’s strengths, there are two variables that appear more tightly correlated to Utah’s success than any other. In WalletHub’s analysis of charitable giving, it notes, “The state has a high population of religiously devout individuals, and these spiritual beliefs provide the foundation for Utah’s philanthropy.”
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Faith also plays a traceable role in virtually every variable on the list — from strong prioritization of children, family, education and economic self-reliance, to unique levels of health, happiness, and freedom from drugs and alcohol.
Marriage and family life is equally consequential. One of the top predictors of economic performance across U.S. states is the share of married parents, according to experts. “The percentage of parents who are married in a given state,” two researchers note, “is typically a stronger predictor of the state’s economic mobility, child poverty and median family income than are the education level, racial makeup and age composition of its population.”
This also helps explain Utah’s economic mobility, since poor children in the Salt Lake area are far more likely than other regions in the country to be raised in a two-parent family and surrounded by peers from two-parent families.
Sociologists Norval Glenn and Charles Weaver have concluded the “estimated contribution of marital happiness” to overall happiness “is far greater than the estimated contribution of (other) kinds of satisfaction, including satisfaction with work.”
Here then is a look at 12 patterns that continue to show up in national datasets illustrating Utah’s comparative strengths as a state:
1. Educational excellence
According to U.S. News & World Report rankings, Utah is second overall in its analysis of state educational metrics, after Florida and right before Massachusetts. The magazine calls this “perhaps Utah’s most important rise,” since the state jumped from No. 5 to No. 2 over the past year.
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In addition to a 12% increase in preschool enrollment rate, the state reported in 2022 an average eight grade National Assessment of Educational Progress math score of 282 out of 300 — above the national average of 274 (continuing a pattern of relatively higher scores over the past two decades).
The new U.S. News & World Report also emphasized the fact that Utah students have an 88.2% high school graduation rate, compared with 85.9% nationally — along with a 13% recent increase in its two-year-college graduation rate to 33.6%.
Utah college students also average $10,794 debt at graduation, which is best in the nationand significantly less than the national average of $14,086 (in line with data suggesting that Latter-day Saints have measurably fewer student loans).
In addition to lower college tuition and fees in the state, Ben Blau, head of the Department of Economics and Finance at Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, told U.S. News & World Report that Utah taxpayers are “extremely generous” in funding public higher education in the state.
2. Robust infrastructure
According to the same U.S. News & World Report analysis of key infrastructure metrics, including commute time, road and bridge quality, and internet access, Utah rose one spot to third overall — after North Dakota and Oregon.
The publication predicts the state could rise more in the near future with further infrastructure improvements in preparation to potentially host the Winter Olympics in 2034 — including expanding passenger rail in Salt Lake City, which Gov. Spencer Cox has called a priority (currently, the state is 14th in the nation for citizens who use public transportation).
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Utah is also ninth best in the nation for commute time, with an average of 21.6 minutes, compared with a national average of 26.4 minutes. The estimated 17.1% of Utah roads in poor condition is slightly less than the national average of 18.3% — with its bridge quality ranking sixth nationally.
Access to gigabit internet has grown to nearly 60% in Utah, with BroadbandNow rankingthe state 13th among states in 2024 for internet coverage, speed and availability.
3. Economic strength
According to the U.S. News & World Report analysis of state economic variables, Utah is third overall in its economy, after Florida and Idaho. That is, in part, based on the state’s 3.7% job growth, which is sixth best in the nation and higher than the 2.7% national average.
A separate analysis by WalletHub, released earlier this month, compares states on 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength, including GDP growth, unemployment rate, startup activity and the share of jobs in high-tech industries. Across these factors, they rank Utah as the state with the second-best overall economy.
In explaining their decision, the analysts note that “at nearly $84,000, the median annual household income in the state is the second-highest in the country after adjusting for the cost of living.” In addition, “the average income in the state also grew 6.8% between 2022 and 2023.”
“The labor market in Utah is also very healthy,” WalletHub also notes. “Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 2.8%, along with the second-most growth in the civilian labor force between 2022 and 2023.”
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U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics confirm a rate of nearly 70% labor force participation in Utah — also the highest in the country. In terms of overall job satisfaction, Provo, Salt Lake City and Ogden all rate highly (No. 1, No. 9 and No. 11, respectively) in Glassdoor’s analysis of “cities with the most satisfied workers.”
WalletHub also underscored the state’s “great potential for the future of business,” based on the fifth-highest growth rate in the number of businesses and the sixth-highest share of jobs in high-tech industries. Other 2024 reviews have called Utah the No. 1 state to start a business, with three of the five “best cities to start a business” all in Utah: Cedar City, St. George and Washington. (A separate analysis declared Utah the No. 1 state for franchising opportunities.)
This squares with yet another independent analysis of 15 state policy variables by the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Center for State Fiscal Reform, which concluded Utah has the nation’s third best current economic performance.
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